Nowhere to Run…

        A harsh banging on the front door startles me awake. I’m suffering from the confusing, disorienting feeling of being woken up abruptly. For a few moments it is silent again. I roll off the couch and begin dragging myself to the door when the banging starts up again. My hand is inches away from the doorknob when I realize that the Black Suits might be on the other side. My heart is pounding and I feel like it might jump out of my chest. I know that I should answer the door and go willingly, but now that the moment is here I have an overwhelming urge to run.

        Going on instinct, I dash toward the back door. Before I’m clear of the house, I hear one of them kick through the door. I turn for a moment, which is long enough for one of them to spot me—there appears to be a total of three. I run around the house and set my sights on the jungle. It is familiar territory for me, and I should be able to lose them in there. I’m running faster than I’ve ever run before—approaching that speed where I could easily fall, but I stay on my feet. Even though there is a considerable distance between me and the Enforcers, they are still tailing me.

        Soon, my fear begins to fade into a strong will to escape. Along the way, I’m hoping that a panther or jaguar will attack them, but none appear. I pass my plot and within minutes I’m passing the volcano altogether. It must be the adrenaline that is keeping me at this pace for so long. The only thing I can hear is my breathing and the pursuing footsteps. One of the Enforcers tries to shoot me but the bullets bury themselves into a nearby tree. Barreling through more wooded area, I come to the waterfall and my fear peaks.

        I have no idea where to go. It was foolish to think I could get away and I immediately regret it. The Black Suits are almost here, so I turn around and lift my hands in surrender.  The first two enter the clearing and tackle me while the third draws his gun. I think to unleash my heat wave, but that will only make things worse. One of them pins my arms down while the other begins to brutally choke me. Losing more air by the second, I try to free myself from their grip. This makes no sense. Why would they want to kill me if I’m supposed to work for them?

 

Follow the Rules!

One of the worst things about the Research Facility is the lack of clocks and windows which makes it impossible to know the time of day. Even as tired as I was, my sleep didn’t refresh me in the least bit. My nightmares were particularly vivid as well. In looping reruns, I had to relive the removal and my meeting with Officer Hills. There is no escape from the craziness and this is only the first day. As drained as I feel, there are a few promises I make to myself. I won’t allow the Enforcers to get to me. They are driven by hate and the pain they can inflict on us, so I can’t give them the satisfaction of reacting. I will focus all my energy into training to give myself the best chance of survival.

        After a mediocre breakfast, I take a much-needed shower. The water runs a little weaker than the one back home, but I have no other choices. Once I’ve changed back into my sweats, I sit back on the bed and read the rule book. On the first page, they cover the basics: two meals a day and an hour in the Recreation Room. While reading the remainder of the booklet, I discover that the rules are just as bogus as I suspected.

1. Deviants must attend daily Guidance Sessions.
2. Deviants must NOT use their abilities outside of Guidance Sessions under any circumstance.
3. Deviants must NOT use their abilities to attack any Research Facility Official.
4. No conspiratorial acts against any Research Facility Officials.
5. Failure to abide by any of these rules will result in the most severe of punishments.

 

        The primary lesson I get from the booklet is that I have to graciously accept anything they throw my way without retaliation or I’m dead. Essentially, it is a free pass for the Black Suits to kick my ass as often as they please. These people truly have no shame. Out of frustration I throw the book into the wall and place my face in my hands. Before the Enforcers come for me, I decide to meditate for a bit. While sitting on the bed, I fold my legs together and begin my deep breathing. Immediately, I realize just how severely the removal has affected me. After multiple attempts, I’m simply unable to clear my mind. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see are the faces of my family.

 

Fight or Flight

“Freeze! Hands above your heads!” The Senior Enforcer reaches us first with his gun aimed at my head. His three partners follow behind him with their guns raised as well.

        In a flash, I grab Camille and pull her tight against my side before unleashing the safe shield. As soon as her body is concealed, I turn up the heat to incinerating level. A full second has passed between grabbing Camille and projecting my shield so the Enforcers had no time to react. When they finally process what I did, they open fire on us. Their confusion at the sight of my shield’s potency is hilarious.

        Even though it’s clear that the bullets have no effect, they continue to shoot until their clips are empty. I retract my shield while they attempt to reload their weapons. Before I have a chance to disarm them, Camille becomes a blurred line of fury. Her attacks are too quick for me to follow but within two seconds, the group of Enforcers becomes a pile of unconscious bodies. She comes to a halt in front of me while her head continues to search the area.

        I follow her line of sight and see that she’s looking at a wheel barrel leaning against a nearby building. “Jump in,” she says while nodding toward it. Without hesitation I sprint over to it and hop inside. By the time I reach it, Camille is already there tightening her laces. “You better hang on pretty boy.” I grip the front of the barrel for dear life as Camille takes off. In a split second, my world goes from still to hazy. My stomach presses against my spine as she picks up speed. It is an intense rush to be moving at such a high speed—I can’t make out any particular object and the wind we’re stirring up is incredibly loud.

        “You alright back there?!”

        “Never better!” It’s a struggle to get the words out, but I manage.

        “We should probably get outta here since they know what we look like now!”

        “Agreed!”

        To my surprise, Camille picks up the pace even more. The rapid tapping of her feet on the pavement has become almost a constant humming noise. In this moment, I finally experience what it feels like to move at her top speed. Almost immediately I get lightheaded, so I tighten my grip and close my eyes. Within two minutes, we reach the rendezvous point. Camille uses her phone to contact the hovering Sky Blade. It takes more than a few moments for me to regain my balance—the head rush I’m feeling is pretty extreme.

        Camille pats my back while trying to stifle a giggle. “You okay sweetie?”

 

Round 3

    He begins to approach me in a predator-like crouch. I waste no time in unleashing a heat wave between us.

        “This seems familiar,” I say as a smug smile stretches across my face.

        This reminds me of that infamous moment when I gave him those gross burn wounds on his paws. A savage roar rips from his throat as he lunges at me. I watch as his claws extend in midair. When he’s inches away from my danger zone, I project my shield to trap him. I lower the temperature from incineration level to severe burn. Regardless of how much animosity he has towards me, I don’t want to kill him.

        A look of surprise crosses his feline face when he sees the red bubble explode from inside me. Just as he’s about to collide with it, he phases into a hawk and sails upwards—his reflexes are impressive. He loops once before swooping back in my direction. Before he has a chance to get away, I retract my shield and grab his talons. He is flapping his wings furiously in an attempt to escape my grasp. Taking advantage of my hold on him, I fling him into a nearby brick wall. He hits the ground with a hard thud and appears to be unconscious. I take cautious steps toward him to make sure.

        I’m a few feet away from him when he morphs from hawk to nude human form. He lands a solid kick to my face before I can react to the change. As I stagger to the ground, he rolls on all fours and morphs into a large bear. Instinctively, my shield appears. He begins to circle me, occasionally swatting crates and other nearby objects at me. His disappointment is palpable as he watches the projectiles turn to ashes. Strings of saliva fly from his mouth as he roars out of frustration.

        I decide to capitalize on his moment of distraction by pushing my heat wave onto his paws once again. Caught off guard by the pain, he shifts back to human form. In the same instant, I retract my shield and launch myself toward him. It takes three right crosses to knock him out. Luckily, I have syringes and sedative in my bag. I want to make sure Thomas is asleep long enough for me to catch up with Camille and get away.

 

Ember Awakening: Official Full-Length Trailer

Here it is peeps!!! The Official Trailer for Ember Awakening!! There is a traditional (short) trailer with strictly the cover and ad, but this is the full-length version…because I’m over-the-top by nature lol. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 

 

Final Exam

“I’m sending you inside shortly. You’ll be placed in a mock assignment scenario. There is a file in a manila folder that you need to retrieve. The evaluation is split into three sections. You’ll have to clear a section in order to gain access to the next. The file is located in the final section. It’s a fast-paced, tricky environment, so keep your eyes open. Do you have any questions?”

        “No.”

        “Good luck,” he says while ushering me to the door.

        Once I’m inside, he closes the door behind me. There are five soldiers dispersed throughout the room. The closest one to me charges with a push kick but I dodge it. I strike him with an axe kick just as one of the others grabs me from behind. The third soldier punches me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I launch myself in the air while thrusting my feet into his chest. At the same time, I take the soldier that’s holding me to the ground. After elbowing his ribcage, I roll out of his hold in enough time to tackle the fourth soldier. I hit him with a left hook before standing up.

        The last soldier is the biggest of them all. I try subduing him with a side thrust kick, but it only makes him laugh. When I attempt to jab him, he catches my fist and lifts me into the air in a choke hold. Wasting no time, he pins me to the wall, and I realize it won’t be so easy taking him down. Using my free fist, I jab him in the throat which forces him to release his chokehold. Using the wall for leverage, I kick off of it and work my way onto his back. I use all my strength to put him into a sleeper hold. He tries to run me into the wall, but I trip him with my dangling feet. Once he is leveled, I apply more pressure until he stops fighting. Standing to my feet, I try to catch my breath. If this was the first section, then I’m not looking forward to the rest.

        The back wall lifts into the ceiling revealing the next section. From my count, there are about thirty combat dummies in the room. There is a fancy sling on the floor which I assume is holding my new staff. I quickly remove it under the assumption someone is going to surprise me. The dummies seem to be the only things in the room so I relax a little.  I’m relieved because this will be way easier than the last task. I begin striking the dummies with my bo. One by one they fall. It takes me no time to finish the first row before I move on to the second. After sweeping two of the dummies, I raise my staff high to take the next one down. But instead of awaiting my strike, it blocks.

       

Teamwork

“Welcome everyone! Today we’re gonna focus more on combining your abilities into collaborative strikes. I want you to get used to using your skills together.”

        Xion begins calling us out in random groups of two to give us examples of how to merge our skills. Camille and I are up first. Using Xion’s lighter, I form a vortex out of the fire. Camille dashes in a circle around me to intensify the flames. As the vortex grows, I’m still able to wield it. I even send fireballs flying from it. Once we’re finished, Lola steps up for her turn. Xion hands each of us a small box with bean-shaped earpieces inside. These must be the specialized ones she described that will block out her screams. After checking to make sure everyone has them secured in their ears, Xion instructs her to execute her signature screech. I watch as her mouth grows to twice its normal size. Remarkably, I can’t hear a thing. When she takes a break, Xion speaks and his voice comes through clear as day. He instructs her to walk closely to us while she screams. I brace myself when she begins. She paces just inches away from us. I can see her stretched mouth and vibrating throat, but it’s just as silent as before.

        Trent is up next and his ability proves to have lots of collaborative potential. Xion summons thirty soldiers to join us for his exercise—supposedly that is the maximum number of people that he can control at once. One by one, we each step up to combine forces with him. He orders them to drop their guns and stand frozen in formation while we incapacitate them. Camille dashes through the group and subdues them. I wield a stream of fire to sail through the crowd—I keep it from touching them of course. Bruce grows to about fifty feet and simulates kicking them all aside. There aren’t enough custom earpieces to go around, so Lola skips this exercise.

        When Xion calls Bruce up for his turn, he demonstrates how he can help us get to high places if the situation ever calls for it. He grows to his current record of eighty feet and places his giant hand on the floor. Reluctantly, each of us climbs into it. Part of me feels like he may try to crush us and call it an accident. I just don’t trust him after seeing him with Hills. He lifts us into the air and I experience a brief feeling of g-force. One after the other, we climb onto the metal-beamed structure on the ceiling of the room and walk across. This would come in handy for a stealth attack—with the exception of the gigantic boy to give us away. He places his shoulder near the structure and extends his arm so that the tip of his finger reaches the floor. Xion orders us to use his arm as a return route. Camille makes it back before he finishes giving the order. The rest of us are more hesitant about it. Trent and I race to the bottom. It’s strange running through the long, red hairs that cover his forearm. Within seconds, we join the rest of the group.

 

The Deviant Act

In the Early Years of my country, each region was governed by a man named Grand Ruler Zeau. Valorans lived in a constant state of unrest while he was in power. There were very poor living conditions, harsh laws and unfair treatment for all. The residents of Topian Isle, Bluetail Desert, Mt. Venus and Violet Forest formed an alliance to overthrow and assassinate him. And with his death came many disagreements over which region would take the seat of power, leading to the Great Civil War which persisted for centuries. The regions eventually reached a stalemate, realizing the cost of this perpetual battle.

        During the interim, a genetic anomaly was discovered in Mt. Venus. Experimentation led to findings that revealed the existence of supernatural abilities. The President at the time made sure to keep it a secret from the public. It wasn’t long before the other regional leaders made similar discoveries. Soon, each Regional Government was able to identify the same anomalies based on their blood signature. In a vicious chain reaction, the authorities began administering mandatory blood tests on newborns. The Draft began shortly afterwards, as well as the coining of the term “deviants”.

        This was an opportunity to use the anomalies as special weapons in battle. Since excessive experimentation claimed the lives of the originally discovered deviants, the Governments would have to wait for the next generation to bring an end to the stalemate. As a measure to ensure compliance, each region approved individual variations of The Deviant Act. To the general public, their lives were virtually unchanged. For families like mine, this law would prove to change everything.

            As a kid, I felt cursed by my nature. Unseen forces made a claim on my life before it was even mine. However, once I learned control, I became more comfortable with the idea of living with this condition. It eventually became an extension of my personality. On the other hand, my mother still has trouble dealing with the situation. She cried for a full week after receiving the results of my blood test. It has to be dreadful knowing that your child is going to be taken away—especially when nothing can be done to change it.

        She went as far as researching laws until her brain was bursting at the seams with legislative jargon—I was desperate to find a loophole in the Deviant Act, but no such thing exists. We both count our blessings that Khadija tested negative for any genetic anomaly. Although my fate is sealed, I can take comfort in knowing that my sister will be safe. I often fantasize about a shift in the current tide of the government—a shift that will bring an end to the war and the exploitation of my kind.

 

Practice makes Perfect…

        Now that I’m alone, I have the necessary privacy to exercise my ability. With only a few days left until the removal, I want it to be in peak form. I could be thrown into any number of combat scenarios, so I need to give myself the best chance of survival. Before I begin, I meditate using Dean’s tips. For about ten minutes, I focus all of my energy on clearing my mind and body of any lingering stress and tension. After retrieving my lighter, I go to my usual vacant spot on the edge of the garden. Far from my crops, the numerous circular scorch marks make my practice corner unmistakable.

        I assemble a pile of sticks and leaves before igniting them. My fire manipulation is a great offensive skill, so I decide to practice that first. Whether it is a match’s flame or a blazing fire, I can bend it to my will. At first, I perform simple tricks like forming a wall from the small campfire. For about ten minutes, I drill myself in pushing and pulling the wall in different directions. The coolest part of this aspect of my talent is that I can change the size and intensity of the flames effortlessly. Once I’m comfortable with this trick, I attempt a spinning vortex.

       

Friend or Foe?

Before I have a chance to project my shield, she executes an aerial over my head and grabs my right arm in the process. The sharpest of pains shoots from my shoulder to my hand and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming. Along with the pain, I notice that my arm is limp at my side. For some reason, I’m having trouble using my shield so I release a heat wave of about twenty feet. Ivy begins taunting me. She tiptoes just outside of my range pointing her fingers at me and laughing maniacally.

        “One step closer and I’ll roast you!” I try giving her a warning. Although I don’t want to kill any deviants, I won’t hesitate offing her if she keeps pushing me.

        Ivy backs away slowly and waves at me before sprinting to the road.  I try calling for Trent and Lola but neither of them responds. They’re probably still chasing Zako. I decide to take the original route to the Police Station. Perhaps I’ll run into them along the way. To keep my right arm from flailing around, I hold it with my left hand as I run. Every few seconds, I do a full turn to prevent anyone from sneaking up on me. The only things I can hear are the birds, wind and the crunching of leaves under my boots. I’m deep into the forest and it’s getting difficult to think around the pain.

        I stop for a moment to catch my breath and find a way to relieve the stabbing sensation. Like a nervous wreck, I keep checking my surroundings but everything is quiet. Massaging my arm doesn’t seem to help at all—it only worsens the pain. In a moment of desperation, I try using my left hand to shake life into my arm but it doesn’t improve. This is what you get for not reading her profile, I think to myself. There may have been tips on how to remedy the effects.

        In the midst of unsuccessfully treating myself, I begin to hear a noise that’s similar to radio static. I assume my earpieces are malfunctioning so I ignore it. I find a nearby tree to crouch next to while I check my utility belt for anything useful. The compartments are filled with bullets, stun gas capsules, smoke pellets, and other things that can’t help my current condition. I pound my fist into the dirt out of frustration. I wasn’t expecting a magic potion, but I at least expected some type of first-aid equipment. Just when the static noise starts to annoy me, it stops.

        “Hey stranger,” says a voice from behind that startles me half to death. My shield explodes from inside of me as I turn around.